Siemens extends lead in European patent ranking

LONDON – Siemens AG was the leader in European patent applications in 2011, according to the Patent Applicant Ranking of the European Patent Office (EPO). Electronics giant Samsung overtook German chemical and materials company BASF to claimed third spot behind Philips.

Qualcomm, which slipped one place to sixth was the top ranked U.S. company and Mitsubishi, ranked tenth was the top Japanese applicant for Europe-wide patents.

Siemens submitted 2,235 patent applications in 2011, including 241 from its Osram lighting subsidiary. Peter Loescher, CEO of Siemens, said the company will continue to invest in R&D at the current level. In its fiscal 2011 year, the company spent 4 billion euros on R&D of which more than 1 million euros went into developing green technologies, the company said.

"The company [Siemens] has been in the top three ever since we introduced the Top Applicant Rankings in 1997," said EPO president Benoit Battistelli, in a statement issued by Siemens.

The number of related initial patent filings made worldwide by Siemens in 2011 was nearly 4,300 a 15 percent increase compared to 2010, while the total number of patents granted to the company rose from 51,300 in 2010 to 53,300 in 2011.

Ranking of top 25 companies filing patents with European Patent Organizarion in 2011. Source Siemens